2400 Dollars To Fix A 95 Sc400, What Should I Do?

[Chad in SC]

I took my sc400 to a dealership this past week because it overheated recently. well, they started out charging me 100 for a general diagnosis and then an additional 100 to check the cooling system.

They called back and said that it would be 2400 to fix all of the problems which include:

Leaking Trans pan 175 dollars

Leaking left front shock 400 dollars.

Powersteering leak 900 dollars.

Radiator leaking on top and bottom 850 dollars.

Now the thing is, I don't really trust the dealership ever since I first got my car two years ago. I went in because the passengers side door wouldn't open from the outside, and they wanted 500 bucks to replace the whole piece, and as well all know, all I needed was the 25 cent clip!!!!!!!!!

So my question to all of the guru's out here, what should I do? get it fixed? take it somewhere else? I mean this is a load of cash to drop on a car that I bought for about 3 times what it's about to be fixed for.

Any information that you could provide could be a great help to me! Thanks for your help and time.

[termin8or]

Three of the problems you list are unrelated to why you originally brought the car in. Have you noticed any leaks on the ground? I'm not going to tell you what to do but if the trans was leaking a little I would just get under the car an tighten up the pan bolts. The pump will eventually short out the altenator if you let it go. Yah, it's a b_tch but you should probably either have it done by a regular non-Lexus mechanic or do it yourself. If the shock isn't clunking you could probably let that go. The radiator leaking again, is not related to an overheat condition. I would find someone else to look at the car.

You should have three sets of puddles onthe ground. Two near the front and one in the middle of the car.

All of the things you list are doable yourself and you can save a lot of money.

[charlesincharge]

I took my sc400 to a dealership this past week because it overheated recently. well, they started out charging me 100 for a general diagnosis and then an additional 100 to check the cooling system.

They called back and said that it would be 2400 to fix all of the problems which include:

Leaking Trans pan 175 dollars

Leaking left front shock 400 dollars.

Powersteering leak 900 dollars.

Radiator leaking on top and bottom 850 dollars.

Now the thing is, I don't really trust the dealership ever since I first got my car two years ago. I went in because the passengers side door wouldn't open from the outside, and they wanted 500 bucks to replace the whole piece, and as well all know, all I needed was the 25 cent clip!!!!!!!!!

So my question to all of the guru's out here, what should I do? get it fixed? take it somewhere else? I mean this is a load of cash to drop on a car that I bought for about 3 times what it's about to be fixed for.

Any information that you could provide could be a great help to me! Thanks for your help and time.

Chad,

get it fixed. it will be worth it. I did, and went with Lexus repair and now I am stoked. Don't take it anywhere else for less. Lexus will warranty for one whole year. I have seen less expensive repair and or parts not work on these, trust me, I already paid over 2g for my SC400 to come home, but now it is worth it. After market parts and labor are cheaper for a reason my friend. Don't rip yourself off.

[charlesincharge]

I took my sc400 to a dealership this past week because it overheated recently. well, they started out charging me 100 for a general diagnosis and then an additional 100 to check the cooling system.

They called back and said that it would be 2400 to fix all of the problems which include:

Leaking Trans pan 175 dollars

Leaking left front shock 400 dollars.

Powersteering leak 900 dollars.

Radiator leaking on top and bottom 850 dollars.

Now the thing is, I don't really trust the dealership ever since I first got my car two years ago. I went in because the passengers side door wouldn't open from the outside, and they wanted 500 bucks to replace the whole piece, and as well all know, all I needed was the 25 cent clip!!!!!!!!!

So my question to all of the guru's out here, what should I do? get it fixed? take it somewhere else? I mean this is a load of cash to drop on a car that I bought for about 3 times what it's about to be fixed for.

Any information that you could provide could be a great help to me! Thanks for your help and time.

Chad,

get it fixed. it will be worth it. I did, and went with Lexus repair and now I am stoked. Don't take it anywhere else for less. Lexus will warranty for one whole year. I have seen less expensive repair and or parts not work on these, trust me, I already paid over 2g for my SC400 to come home, but now it is worth it. After market parts and labor are cheaper for a reason my friend. Don't rip yourself off.

[Chad in SC]

I would love to get it fixed by them and know that they are doing a great job and get a free loaner vechicle while it's in the shop, but the thing is, the last time I took it in they wanted 500 dollars for a 25 cent piece, that's my only concern.

I guess I'll shop around and see what I can do.

[Chad in SC]

Three of the problems you list are unrelated to why you originally brought the car in. Have you noticed any leaks on the ground? I'm not going to tell you what to do but if the trans was leaking a little I would just get under the car an tighten up the pan bolts. The pump will eventually short out the altenator if you let it go. Yah, it's a b_tch but you should probably either have it done by a regular non-Lexus mechanic or do it yourself. If the shock isn't clunking you could probably let that go. The radiator leaking again, is not related to an overheat condition. I would find someone else to look at the car.

You should have three sets of puddles onthe ground. Two near the front and one in the middle of the car.

All of the things you list are doable yourself and you can save a lot of money.

so if the radiator isn't the cause of the overheating, what would be the cause? thanks for your help!

[lexus082]

The radiator leaking can contribute to the engine overheating. If you continue to drive with it leaking it can burst and then you'll be stuck. So have the radiator replaced with a new radiator. Aftermarket radiator will save you a good amount compared to the price of an oem. Is there a good amount of transmission fluid leaking? The power steering leak needs to be fixed asap otherwise you'll have to get a new alternator, (IF it is leaking from the PS pump. Usually if you replace one front shock you replace both shocks at the same time. The leak is usually caused by a bad seal in the PS pump.

I would recommend that you find an independent mechanic and get the radiator replaced and whatever is causing the p.s. to leak replaced. You can save a good deal of money buying the aftermarket radiator, aftermarket PS Pump, etc. I had both problems, but did the work myself. I replaced the radiator and the PS Pump with an aftermarket unit and so far no problems. I also drive 30k miles a year and its been about two years since. These are all pretty easy-moderate fixes and shouldn't cost that much unless you of course go to the dealer. Good Luck.